Bangor, ME Hampden Bridge Collapsed By Train, Aug 1871

Two Persons Killed and Thirty Severely Injured---Lost Time and Unusual Speed the Cause of the Accident.

BANGOR, Me., Aug. 9.---A frightful accident occurred to-night on the Maine Central Railroad, just as the train was entering this city, by the giving way of a bridge across the Hampden-road. The train consisted of the engine, tender, mail and express car, smoking-car, three passenger cars and one Pullman palace car. The train was half an hour behind time, and was running at a good rate of speed to make up. The engine and tender had got across the bridge, and a portion of the mail and express car, when the structure went down, taking the rear trucks of the mail-car, but the strength of the shackles kept it upon the track. The smoking-car plunged down into the street, a distance of twenty feet and was completely demolished. This was followed by a passenger-car, which came down upon its side, and was also completely torn to pieces. A second passenger-car shot across the street at right angles with the first, and was also demolished. The third and last regular passenger-car plunged down the abyss, striking upon the forward end, crushing it in, while the rear end was suspended at an angle of forty-five degrees by the broken timbers and abutments. The Pullman car, the last in the train, remained upon the track, but the front end was somewhat damaged by contact with the preceding car. None of the passengers in it, however, were injured in the slightest degree.

WILLIAM PERCIVAL, of Walterville, was brakeman of the third passenger-car, and stood at his post on the front platform when the car plunged down through the bridge, and was instantly killed. There was a very small number of passengers, otherwise the loss of life must have been fearful. As it was, thirty persons were more or less severely injured, but on one as yet fatally, THOMAS GALLAGHER, boiler-maker, belonging at No. 2 Union-place, East Boston, but at present employed in this City, was fearfully crushed, and died just after being taken to his boarding- The following is a list of the injured so far as has been possible to ascertain to-night:

L. HILDRETH, of Bangor, head cut and hand crushed;
Mrs. ABRAM WOODARD, of Bangor, head cut and severe contusion of the neck rendering her insensible;
Miss MARIA WOODARD, severely bruised;
Capt. WILLIAM FLOWERS, of Bangor, cut on leg and head, wounds not serious, his daughter, ADA, arm broken;
Mrs. BROWN, of Bath, severely bruised, her two children uninjured;
Miss WAGONN, of Bath, slightly bruised;
PETER HOPKINS, Bangor, severely bruised;
GEO. C. ROBERTS, of Boston, slightly bruised;
GEO. A. MEAD, of Boston, slightly bruised;
W. H. SEYMOUR, of New-York, slightly bruised;
D. WHITING, of New-York, side injured, his wife, who was with him, uninjured.
JAMES A. TOWLE, severely bruised;
E. A. BAILEY, Portland, bruised;
CHARLES BURRILL, Corinna, and JOHN WRIGHT, badly bruised;
Mrs. FLOWERS, bruised and injured internally;
Mrs. REUBEN SAULT and daughter of Bangor, both severely injured;
C. S. PENNELL, of Brunswick, slight injury to leg;
Rev. GEO. W. BEAN, of Skowhegan, several flesh-wounds;
L. D. EMERSON, of Waterville, cut in head;
J. W. DAVIS, of Boston Treasury Department, nose and Jaw broken, and eye injured;
Mrs. WILLIAM T. BURD, daughter and sister, of Chelsea, mass., all slightly injured;
HENRY JONES ANDREWS, of Veasie, two ribs broken, and severely cut and bruised;
JOHN WRIGHT, Lewiston, wrist jammed and head cut;
GEO. H. DAY, Boston, shoulder broken, his wife and children were with him but escaped unharmed;
Mrs. J. F. ADAMS, Minneapolis, Minn., bruised and cut on head, face and side;
Mr. LOWELL, Orrington, severely injured;
JONAS GRAY, conductor, was in the smoking-car. Had cut on side and back of head, and back injured, is spitting blood, and is supposed to have ruptured a blood vessel.
Mr. and Mrs. WITHOE, of Bath, and Mrs. WIGGINS, of Bath, slightly injured.